Virtual classrooms are an effective and widely used learning delivery mechanism—one that today’s economically and geographically challenged talent development functions have embraced enthusiastically.

The virtual classroom is live, instructor-led and facilitated through technology. This environment enables learners to participate remotely through video conferencing, internet meeting rooms, or other tools. To show that virtual classrooms are well-established and thriving, the Association for Talent Development and the Institute for Corporate Productivity, surveyed talent development leaders about their use of virtual classrooms with instructors and learners interacting in real time.

The new report, Virtual Classrooms Now: Using Technology to Reach Today’s Workforces, found that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of organizations use virtual classrooms for employee learning. Further, another 22 percent are not using virtual classrooms now, but plan to add them within two years’ time. With virtual classrooms, more is better—greater extent of use and higher performance are connected.